1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel tank and pump assembly and, more particularly, to a fuel tank and pump assembly in which the fuel tank is provided with an improved support member adapted to support the fuel pump in the fuel tank. In addition, the present invention also relates to a motorcycle incorporating the inventive fuel tank and pump assembly.
2. Background Art
Motorcycles and other saddle-type vehicles are known in which a fuel tank has a fuel pump disposed therein. Motorcycle fuel tank and fuel pump assemblies have been known in which the fuel pump is attached to the fuel tank via a ring-shaped pump support member adapted to attach in the fuel tank, such as, for example, the fuel tank and pump assembly disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5235089.
The fuel tank and pump assembly described in Japanese Patent No. 5235089 uses, for example, a metallic plate member that has been punched into a ring shape by using outer and inner molds. This metallic member is used to form a ring-shaped fuel pump support member. With such a formation method, the material from inside the punched ring shape is discarded without being used, thus resulting in a significant waste of material. This has led to high costs associated with manufacturing such fuel pump support members.
In particular, if an expensive plate material such as titanium is used, it has been requested to enhance material usage efficiency and reduce waste.
Although the known fuel tank and fuel pump assemblies are usable for their intended purposes, a need still exists in the art for an improved fuel tank and pump assembly.